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1 " That man who is without religion and mercy should be rejected. A guru without spiritual knowledge should be rejected. The wife with an offensive face should be given up and so should relatives who are without affection. "
― Chanakya
2 " for in the absence of a magistrate (dandadharabhave), the strong will swallow the weak; but under his protection, the weak resist the strong. "
― Chanakya , The Arthashastra
3 " Before you start some work, always ask yourself three questions - Why am I doing it, What the results might be and Will I be successful. Only when you think deeply and find satisfactory answers to these questions, go ahead. "
4 " As long as your body is healthy and under control and death is distant, try to save your soul; when death is immanent what can you do? "
5 " Never make friends with people who are above or below you in status. Such friendships will never give you any happiness. "
6 " A good wife is one who serves her husband in the morning like a mother does, loves him in the day like a sister does and pleases him like a prostitute in the night. "
― Chanakya ,
7 " Education is the best friend. An educated person is respected everywhere. Education beats the beauty and the youth. "
8 " The fragrance of flowers spreads only in the direction of the wind. But the goodness of a person spreads in all directions. "
9 " As soon as the fear approaches near, attack and destroy it. "
10 " The life of an uneducated man is as useless as the tail of a dog which neither covers it’s rear end, nor protects it from the bites of insects. "
11 " The arrow shot by the archer may or may not kill a single person. But stratagems devised by wise men can kill even babes in the womb. "
12 " A person should not be too honest. Straight trees are cut first and honest people are screwed first. "
13 " We should not fret for what is past, nor should we be anxious about the future; men of discernment deal only with the present moment "
14 " A man is born alone and dies alone, and he experiences the good and bad consequences of his karma alone, and he goes alone to hell or the Supreme abode. "
15 " Books are as useful to a stupid person as a mirror is useful to a blind person. "
16 " Every neighbouring state is an enemy and the enemy’s enemy is a friend. "
17 " Do not reveal what you have thought upon doing, but by wise council keep it secret being determined to carry it into execution. "
18 " Just as it is impossible to know when a swimming fish is drinking water, so it is impossible to find out when a government servant is stealing money "
19 " It is better to die than to preserve this life by incurring disgrace. The loss of life causes but a moment's grief, but disgrace brings grief every day of one's life. "
20 " Dharma is law in its widest sense—spiritual, moral, ethical and temporal. Every individual, whether the ruler or the ruled, is governed by his or her own dharma. To the extent that society respected dharma, society protected itself; to the extent society offended it, society undermined "